Our culture is into sports and it’s October. So let me ask, Who will win this year’s World Series? If you knew you could become a fan of the winning team. Some would begin to bet on the team no matter the quality of the their play today. Which team will win the next Super Bowl? Knowing in advance opens up all kinds of possibilities. Those questions are temporarily important. Here’s one that’s not temporary! What is God doing in the world? Is His ‘team’going to win? Will that change anything you are doing?

Conquering Culture

What is God doing in the world? He is redeeming people. For clarity, redeem means to buy back. He redeems people ‘where they are, as they are.’ Where are they? In their native cultures. Any culture carries certain viewpoints, values, and thought processes. When a person is ‘bought back’ they come with those cultural distinctives. The Spirit begins the process of molding that person into the image of Christ. That includes cultural disctinctives that don’t honor the Lord. How do I know? Revelation 5:9 tells us people are redeemed from:

Every nation, people, tribe, and tongue

Clearly, God’s intent is to redeem the individual as well as their culture.

Paul wanted Christ to be fully formed in the Galatian Christians. What was the problem? Their culture! As Jews their culture was the Law and they wanted to return to it. They needed to mature in Christ until their faith superseded their culture. Paul’s admonition to all Christians of every age is not to be conformed to the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1-2). We are not to let our worldview (culture) shape our faith. Our faith is to shape our worldview (culture). That milestone in Christian maturity doesn’t usually come quickly. History provides proof.

Conquering Culture In Every Generation

For centuries human slavery was part of many cultures. People like William Wilberforce in England, American abolitionists who manned the underground railroad, and Christians who have fought human trafficking are examples of faith overtaking culture. Sadly, many Christians were captive to their cultures and did nothing. The same was true in Nazi Germany and the horrors of the Holocaust. Some, like Dietrich Bonhoeffer (one of my faith heroes!) stood against their culture. Many did not.

I work in cross-cultural missions and evangelism. That work is made possible by people just like you. I have seen people of many cultures reach this point in their faith. This was the point at which I recently complimented and encouraged a friend of mine. He faith had taken the priority position in relation to his culture. Knowing him, seeing him work, and knowing his ministry is a blessing.

Culture And The Church

About that earlier question – God will win. He doesn’t need a ‘team’ to do it. But He allows us to help in the process and He rewards us for our faithfulness (Hebrews 11:6). That’s pretty amazing!

Does your culture define your faith or is it the other way around? In The Essential Nature Of The Churchmy goal was to define and describe the Church apart from these things:

Tradition

Culture

Denomination

Expectation

If you have never tried that I can assure you it’s a challenge! You can try it yourself or you may want to look at this resource. Making The Essential Nature Of The Church available is a way we can help equip you for you life missions. And equipping is a two-way street. Taking advantage of this resource allows you to be a partner in this ministry. The lessons address many ways we let our own expectations get in the way of God’s design for conquering culture.

Revelation 14:6 says God’s winning strategy is to preach the Gospel – to every nation, tribe, and tongue (culture!). What’s the reward? Based on how the Word says God is doing His work, I think our redeemed cultures will be visible in Heaven. I have worshiped in many cultures. It’s a moving experience to lift hearts and hands with brothers and sisters in Russia, Europe, Africa, Australia, the Caribbean, and all over North America. But that is only a taste of the beauty and majesty that we will see as people from every nation, tribe, and tongue fall before the King of Kings and honor Him.

Paul worked to redeem his culture and I have friends working to redeem theirs. Are you working to redeem yours? I’d love to help!

Soli Deo Gloria!

PS – Resource links will be out with the release of the new website!!!

Yes! The Olympics and national borders teach valuable lessons. Here’s the question: Is anyone learning? Do you see any connection between the Olympics, national borders, and eternity? Revealing those connections may add a new dimension to watching the Olympic games!

The Olympics

We enjoy watching the Olympics. As the Rio games opened this weekend I was watching the men’s cycling race. The coverage went back and forth from event to event and then back to the race. During that coverage one of the commentators made a statement about the beauty of the Olympic idea. Bringing nations together in peaceful settings is a good thing. However, it’s not a new idea and it has yet to be fully achieved.

That’s one of the ‘dots’ we need to connect. There’s more to follow on that thought.

National Borders

When nations come together, what defines a nation? Culture is part of it. But every nation represented

Great Wall of China

has borders. Every participant in the Rio Olympics (except those from Brazil) had to have a passport to get into the country. It seems simple, right? Once again the political arena is ripe with teaching opportunities!

There is a group of people in the U. S. and other western countries who espouse the uptopian idea of a borderless world. Recent events in Europe tell us two things. First, many of them subscribed to this idea. Second, multiple terrorist attacks have caused many to rethink that idea. While I’m on the subject, do a little historical research and see if you can find any nation that survived the blurring of its borders. But this post is about eternity. And what do borders have to do with that?

Eternity

The Olympic games are an attempt to bring nations together. As good as that is, it hasn’t always been free of conflict. But bringing nations together is something we need to see in a different light. If you asked ten people to give you a one or two sentence synopsis of the Bible, what would they say? Is that kind of synopsis even possible? I think it is.

Scripture is a record of God’s activity in human affairs. All His activity serves one purpose:

Bringing people to Himself from every nation, tribe and tongue, (Revelation 5:9 & 14:6)

God is at work reconciling the world to Himself. So there will be a coming together of nations. It won’t be for Olympic purposes. It will be for God’s divine purposes. But there is still the issue of borders. And what does that have to do with eternity?

This may shock you, but borders are God’s idea. The perfect earth He created contained a garden. God’s garden was planted in the eastern part of Eden. Eden and the garden had defined borders (God’s idea). They were specific places (see Genesis 2). If you don’t think that is enough information for my conclusion, then try Genesis 3.

Borders – an ancient idea

When Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden because of their sin, God put heavenly beings to guard the entrance to the Garden. Again, there is the idea of a border. It is a defined place. One is either in or out. The border defines the difference. And this is just the beginning of God’s thoughts about borders!

I could cite for you the borders of God’s Promised Land. When His people received the land, each tribe had well-defined borders. You can see that in Numbers 34 and all through the book of Deuteronomy. The most important border is called the great gulf.

Luke 16 contains the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man looked up from Hell and requested Lazarus be sent to him with just a drop of water. The rich man wanted just that drop to cool his tormented tongue. The great gulf (a border!) was fixed by God between Heaven and Hell and no one could cross it. The border defined who was in and who was out.

As you watch the Olympics, know the future holds a genuine gathering of nations. Know that nations, kingdoms, and Heaven are defined by borders. And know that you can join God in His mission of bringing people into Heaven. How? You have been given the ministry of reconciliation. Engage!

Soli Deo Gloria!

PS – I have to wonder if the ‘borderless world’ isn’t really a symptom of unbelief. The idea may become reality, temporarily, as the Antichrist rules on the Earth. That could well be a ‘borderless’ world. But won’t it be a shock when God’s borders are eternally enforced!